An elevator car door is driven between open and closed positions relative to an entrance to a cab by a door operator mounted on top of the cab. The cab, door operator and cab support or sling are collectively referred to as an elevator car. The hatch door at each floor of a building an elevator car is serving is unlocked by the car at the associated floor, and a clutch carried by the car door has "open" and "close" vanes which engage appropriate elements on the hatch door, such as hatch door rollers, to respectively open and close the hatch door in unison with the car door.
It is desirable, and an object of the present invention, to reduce noise associated with the operation of the car and hatch doors. It is also desirable and another object of the invention to permit the car and hatch doors to be de-coupled by authorized personnel for maintenance purposes, without damaging the clutch or hatch door rollers. It is also desirable and another object of the invention to mechanically lock the car door between floors, and to automatically unlock it when an attempt is made to open the car door and the car is within a predetermined dimension from a floor.